Graduate Certificate of Advanced Studies in Violence, Loss and Trauma Counseling (VoLT certificate)

Applicants who have obtained a master’s degree in behavioral health disciplines (counseling, psychology, school psychology, social work, etc.) or who are concurrently enrolled in one of these programs are eligible to apply for the VoLT certificate. They must follow one of these two routes:

• Students currently enrolled in Marshall University's Counseling program are eligible to apply for the VoLT certificate through the Secondary Program Request form (https://www.marshall.edu/graduate/files/Secondary-Program-Request-Form-082821.pdf). Adding the VoLT  certificate through the Secondary Program Request Form does not require an application, fee or transcrjpts. Interested students should ask their academic advisors for guidance on adding the VoLT certificate. Students currently enrolled in a non-Counseling master's degree program at Marshall University should apply to the VoLT certificate through the Office of Graduate Admissions. Applying to the VoLT certificate from within Marshall University does not require a fee or transcripts. Interested students should ask their academic advisors for guidance on the application process.
• All other applicants should apply for the VoLT certificate through the Office of Graduate Admissions. Applicants within Marshall University will not need an application fee or a transcript. Applicants from outside Marshall University will need an application fee and a transcript from their current or degree-granting university.

Admission Requirements

Students already enrolled in the Counseling program, in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling area of emphasis, should submit to the Counseling program a Secondary Program Request form.

Prospective VoLT certificate students should apply for admission to Marshall University as a certificate student. It is expected that enrollees of the VoLT certificate will be engaged in clinical practice or some support aspect of direct client service and/or intervention where family violence, bereavement, or trauma have been identified or suspected. 

Admission requirements for the certificate program include the following:

• Concurrent enrollment in a master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or related field, OR
• A master’s degree in counseling, social work, psychology, or related field, AND
• A graduate GPA of at least 3.5 based on at least 12 semester credit hours (four courses), AND
• Departmental approval.

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Required Courses		12
COUN 555	Crisis Int & Conf Res 1
COUN 556	Death & Grief Counseling 2
COUN 654	Family Violence 2
COUN 682	Tr in Trauma Recovery 2
Select 6 hours from the following		6
COUN 683	Psychophys of Trauma
COUN 684	Treating Complex Trauma & Loss
COUN 685	Military Cult & Treat Vets
COUN 686	Trauma and Suffering
COUN 687	Tr Rest Jus Sch Comm
Total Credit Hours		18

¹

Pre-/co-requisite for the certificate.

²

Required for the certificate.